1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a product maintenance method and a product maintenance business system that may be adopted in product repair, product adjustment and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a user of a product such as a camera needs to have the product repaired or adjusted by the manufacturer, the user normally brings the product into a service center or a retailer and requests the repair or adjustment to be performed on the product through the service center or the retailer. Then, when the repair or adjustment is completed, the user picks up the product at the service center or the retailer where he also pays for the service.
Such a product maintenance system in the prior art that requires the user to bring the product into a specified service center or retailer for service has proved to be troublesome and time-consuming for the user.
In addition, while a product such as a camera or an electronic instrument that must be handled with care needs to be shipped in a secure package, the box in which the product was packed at the time of purchase has often been discarded or lost. When shipping the product for service directly to the manufacturer through a carrier, this may pose a problem in that the product cannot be packed in a compact and secure package.
There is also a problem in the product maintenance system in the prior art in that it fails to offer the user peace of mind since it does not provide the user with detailed progress status updates on the product being repaired or adjusted.
Furthermore, since the product is shipped via a number of middlemen in a complicated distribution path including the retailer in the product maintenance system in the prior art, the cost of having the product repaired or adjusted is bound to be high.